娱乐英语新闻:Morgan Freeman, Diane Keaton at TIFF to premiere Ruth & Alex

TORONTO, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- As the 39th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is in its full swing Saturday, enthusiastic fans of Morgan Freeman are still tasting the excitement of meeting him on the red carpet Friday night.

Freeman and Diane Keaton, the star power in Richard Loncraine's film Ruth & Alex was incentive enough for passionate Toronto fans to wait in the heavy rain and lightning storm Friday night.

The pair graced the red carpet at the 39th TIFF, which started Thursday, for the world premiere of the heartwarming comedy. In Ruth & Alex, Freeman and Keaton play an old married couple who gets swept up in a comical real estate bidding war when they put their long-time Brooklyn home on the market.

This is the first time the two award-winning actors have ever appeared in a film together. Freeman said working with Keaton was a "wonderful" experience.

"I have loved Diane since the very first time I saw her in the movies," he said.

Unfortunately for the fans, the uncooperative weather and the stars' late arrival meant minimal time for them to spend with their favorite actors. Freeman gave his fans some love from the red carpet, as he waved furiously to his screaming fans. He said he doesn't mind taking selfies and giving autographs when he can.

"If your fans are not there asking you for autographs or selfies, then you're not there," he said. "So it's wonderful for you to be there."

The film is based on a novel called Heroic Measures, by Jill Ciment. Director Loncraine said he was hooked right off the bat with the "good words, good dialogue and good situations."

He described it as a funny, sad and poignant film that's not plot driven and very much about the "texture of their (Freeman and Keaton's) performance."

"This film is a film that I've never made this subject matter before," he explained. "It's a coming of age movie for old people. So it's about two people who's been married for 40 years, whose marriage is not wrong, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's lost its vitality perhaps, and it's about how they find it again."

Besides the Ruth and Alex stars, Bill Murray, Naomi Watts, Jake Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman were amongst some of the big names who also walked the red carpet on Friday to promote their films.

TIFF, known for being an influential platform for premiering Oscar hopefuls, will pack in 284 features and 139 world premieres throughout the 11-day event this year.